The first word: Dave Rice never thought he'd walk into a recruit's house and boast about his program developing the No. 1 NBA draft pick.

That luxury became a reality for the third-year UNLV coach when Anthony Bennett, the Runnin' Rebels' leading scorer as a freshman last season, was shockingly selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the top pick in this past summer's draft.

The flip side of the coin is that Rice now enters 2013-14 without his best player. Additionally, starters Mike Moser and Katin Reinhardt transferred to Oregon and Southern California. In total, the Rebels lost close to 70% of their scoring from last season.

Yet somehow Rice isn't sweating the upcoming season. Suffice it to say the Rebels will be reloaded. Connecticut transfer Roscoe Smith, a highly talented 6-8 forward, is eligible after redshirting last season and oftentimes was the best player in practice — remember that includes gyms with a future lottery pick on the floor. Smith leads a talented batch of newcomers who'll join returning starters Bryce Dejean-Jones and Khem Birch, as UNLV figures to once again be a Mountain West Conference challenger and NCAA tourney team.

Coach's corner: "51 wins in two years isn't bad, but I'm at a program that's used to constantly being nationally relevant and having success in the NCAA tournament. We play in an underrated league, and we want to be in the championship (race) each year. There can't really be a dropoff. There's a lot more we can do and I'm excited about our group of guys this year." — Rice, who replaced Lon Kruger in 2011 and led UNLV to two consecutive NCAA tournaments, both early-round exits.

2012-13 in review: 25-10 overall (10-6, third in Mountain West), lost in second round of NCAA tournament to California.

Conference outlook: Following a season in which the Mountain West sent a record five teams to the NCAAs, the forecast for multiple bids is once again good despite the loss of the bulk of its stars. New Mexico is the obvious favorite, while UNLV, San Diego State, Boise State and newcomer Utah State will be chasing the Lobos. "New Mexico should definitely be the favorite," San Diego coach Steve Fisher said. "But that doesn't mean there won't be teams nipping at their heels."

Star watch: Smith figures to be UNLV's best player after starting on Connecticut's 2011 national title team. Former USC guard Dejean-Jones and former Pittsburgh big man Birch are the top returners for the Rebels. Dejean-Jones (10.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg) showed flashes of offensive takeover ability and will take on an increased role. Birch is a former top-20 recruit and McDonald's All-American who became eligible midway through last season and should be much more effective in 2013-14 with the cobwebs dusted off. Another former McDonald's All-American, 6-6 guard Jelan Kendrick, joins the team after stints in junior college and at Ole Miss. Fresno State transfer Kevin Olekaibe is awaiting an NCAA hardship waiver. Top 100 recruits Christian Wood, Kendall Smith and Deville Smith all should see playing time.

X-Factor: Team chemistry. How do all of the new pieces fit together. It'll be up to Rice to get his players to gel it together early, as a rigorous non-conference schedule awaits.

Team strength/weakness: Last season UNLV did a lot of things well, ranking 18th in rebounding margin and 10th in assists nationally. But the Rebels struggled with consistency when the injury bug bit, most notably with Bennett. That will be the challenge for this season's team as well. Last season, the Rebels earned their highest seed in the NCAAs, No. 5, but were upset by Cal. Rice plans to utilize his team's depth and create more points off defense, which will be beneficial in filling so many holes.

Tweet that speaks volume: The Internet reacted in shock when UNLV's Bennett went No. 1 in June...

Surprise! Cleveland takes UNLV&#39;s Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft. Bold, but I like it. http://t.co/CrfrqlSyun

Scott Gleeson, a national college basketball writer/producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.

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